Persistence of Nitroxide Radicals in Solution

Data on long-term persistence of nitroxide radicals typically are focused on solid samples. Less information is available for nitroxides in fluid solution. Sealed deoxygenated solutions of a doxyl nitroxide in tetrahydrofuran and a piperidinyl nitroxide in toluene in 4 mm EPR tubes were kept in a laboratory environment at ambient temperature and without protection from light. After more than 40 years, the concentrations of the solutions had decreased by about factors of 12 and 6, respectively. The longevity in solution probably depends strongly on the purity of the solvent, but these results indicate remarkable persistence.